The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Schizachyrium scoparium and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Carousel’. ‘Carousel’ represents a new cultivar of little bluestem, an ornamental grass grown for landscape use.
The Inventor discovered and selected the new cultivar, ‘Carousel’, in a garden plot that had been planted with 200 seedlings derived from open-pollination of unnamed plants of Schizachyrium scoparium in the summer of 1998 in Rushville, Ill. ‘Carousel’ was selected as a single plant amongst the seedlings for its unique characteristics and suitability as a landscape plant.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by culm division in Rushville, Ill. in 2002 by the Inventor. The vegetative propagules of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.